


Guard My Heart

by Strawberrywaltz



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, The Avengers - Ambiguous Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Powers, I'm making up for my other stories about Steve, It's really all about Clint and Steve, M/M, Non-Consensual Drug Use, Steve's adorable, Tony's a good bro, clint's a good bro, stalkers, unexpected love
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-05-16
Updated: 2016-03-02
Packaged: 2018-03-30 21:11:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 16,278
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3951910
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Strawberrywaltz/pseuds/Strawberrywaltz
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tony's having a rough time in the dating world after his messy break up with Pepper. In a stroke of drunken genius, Tony promotes his bodyguard and best friend, Clint, to the position of 'Heart Protector'. Clint is now stuck with finding Tony the perfect person to give his heart to, even though it might be the death of Clint.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is a response to a prompt, even though I lost the link to the prompt ^^ 
> 
> It's unbeta'd, so forgive any glaring mistakes. This is also not quite finished. I've been working on it for a while. And by a while I mean I started it last November? Around then. I've been suffering from writers block...and scatter brain. (Too many plots and not enough focus) It's 18,000 words long at the moment, but I figured I'd start posting it to get inspiration to finish the darn thing. I'm close to the end....sort of. I do know where I want to go. I just want to make the journey to the end fun. 
> 
> Anyways, please enjoy!

Guard My Heart

“Well that was a disaster.” Tony grumbled as he tossed his suit jacket across the bar in his living area. 

“Understatement.” Clint agreed and sat on a barstool across from where Stark stood on the other side of the dark granite peninsula. “But that guy was still better than some of your more recent dates. Like that waitress you met at your friend’s daughter’s – thing.” 

Tony grunted his agreement and downed a glass of something strong. Whatever the drink had been it probably wasn’t strong enough to wipe away the memories of the date Tony’d just been on. Not to mention the one Clint had just brought up. Clint almost felt bad. Almost. 

“Seriously, though.” The billionaire shook his head as he looked back at Clint. “I think I’m done.” 

Clint arched an eyebrow and tilted his head. “With what? Dating?” 

“No, love. And dating, but mostly love.” Tony announced as he poured himself another glass of liquid poison. Or amnesia, which ever came first: death or forgetting. Given that Clint’s job was to protect Stark, he kind of hoped it helped Tony forget faster than it killed him. Clint needed Tony as a reference if he were to try and get another bodyguard gig. 

“Swearing off love seems a little,” Clint paused and tipped his head from side to side as he considered his phrasing, “extreme.” 

“Look at it from where I’m seated, uh, sitting, well standing.” Tony slurred. He’d already had a few drinks earlier, his two glasses here and now were a bit of an over kill. Then again this was Stark. The man liked his rich booze. “I pick the worst people to fall in love with.” Tony sighed with genuine sadness. 

Clint wrinkled his nose a little as he caught a whiff of Tony’s alcohol laced breath. It wasn’t pretty. “For the record, I thought Pepper was the one for you too.” 

“Until the last year.” Tony pointed an accusing finger at his bodyguard. “You knew before anyone that she and Rhode hated me.” 

Clint rolled his eyes. “Let me state for the record, they didn’t hate you, they just loved each other a little bit too much and kind of broke your heart.”

“Kind of?” Tony grumbled as he stared down his third, untouched glass. “Obliterated my heart might be a better turn of phrase. Killed me. Destroyed me. Seriously, she was the first person I really thought – ” Tony stopped his rant and slumped his shoulders in defeat. Suddenly this conversation had gotten more serious than either of them liked. 

“Me too, buddy.” Clint offered sympathetically. When Pepper and Rhode started to spend time together outside of their usual ‘let’s save Tony’ powwows, Clint had been suspicious. He’d nearly lost his job for mentioning it, but in the end Pepper left Tony and Tony had begged Clint’s forgiveness. Clint had just felt like crap. Sometimes it didn’t pay to be right. 

“I really think I’m done this time, Clint.” Tony’s voice was raw with honesty and Clint’s eyes softened as he eyed his friend. 

“Hey,” Clint reached across the bar and patted Tony’s shoulder awkwardly. “Don’t give up on love just because Pepper wasn’t the one.” 

Tony huffed. “Says the guy who has gone on, wait, how many dates since he’s worked for me? Oh, that’s right. None. Zero. Goose egg.” Tony let his head fall to the side, propped up by his hand as he leaned over the granite surface on his elbow. “Why is that again?” 

Well, at least the humor was back, Clint thought to himself as he smiled sarcastically at his boss and friend. “I’m married to my job, remember?” 

“True.” Tony nodded. “But you love me. Maybe we should get married. Have my children?” Tony asked and handed Clint an invisible flower. Or at least Clint guessed it was a flower or maybe a ring, there was no real way to tell since the object didn’t actually exist.

“We’re better off friends.” Clint laughed lightly. “I have a rule, remember?” 

“I suppose if I were to date you and pay you it would be a bit like making you my own special prostitute.” Tony agreed half-heartedly. “A hot prostitute. Eh, it would also be weird dating you. You’re like the little brother I never wanted.” The billionaire inventor joked. 

“That’s the spirit.” Clint grinned, but sobered up from the cheer before he cleared his throat. “I’m sorry I’m not doing a better job protecting your heart.” He offered kindly. It was true, watching the fall out with Pepper had broken Clint right along with Tony. Call it empathy or brotherly love, but Clint had wanted to hurt both Tony’s former love and former best friend for what the had done. 

Clint had the decency to realize people didn’t get to choose who they fell in love with. That didn’t change the fact that the whole situation sucked balls.

Tony looked up abruptly and Clint frowned as he recognized the mischievous glimmer in the other man’s eyes. Like a character in a cartoon with an idea, a light bulb had magically turned on in Tony’s massive brain. 

“Tony – ” Clint started to protest whatever idea Stark was about to announce. Half of Clint thought it might be Tony’s revamping his ‘robotic girlfriend’ idea, the other half was fairly certain Tony was going to take over the world. Not try to take over the world, but take over the world. Everyone knew Tony could do it, if he wanted. 

“Chillax, I’m not going to take over the world with my awesomeness – yet.” Tony waved Clint’s worry away with his hand. Apparently Tony knew Clint’s fears…or he’d developed the ability to read Clint’s mind. Either way Clint was relieved to hear the world was safe. At least for the time being. 

Tony continued. “I’ve just decided, I’ll date, when you find the perfect someone for me to date.” 

Clint frowned immediately. “Wait. What, now? That doesn’t even make sense. Why on Earth would you want me to pick out the person you date?” 

“You said you wanted to guard my heart.” Tony pointed out nonchalantly. 

“Uh, no, I said I wished I could have protected your heart better.” Clint leaned back in his chair and frowned. “There’s a difference between wishing and wanting. A big difference.” 

“Well, you could guard my heart. It won’t be hard. If someone wants to date me, they have to be cleared through you. You’ll do background checks, make sure they aren’t just in it for my body or my mass amounts of money – that kind of thing. You’re good at reading people, Clint and I trust you.” 

Clint was dumbstruck. Seriously was Tony really asking him to screen his potential lovers?

“Uh, let’s talk about this again when you’re sober.” Or never, Clint thought to himself as he stood and pulled Tony away from his untouched third glass and towards his bedroom down the hall. 

“Okay,” Tony grumbled, but brightened so fast that Clint’s head spun a little…and he hadn’t even had a single drink that night. “But tomorrow you get to start your new duties!” 

Clint sighed and gave Tony another gentle shove towards his room. Man he hoped his boss forgot this conversation by morning. 

__

As it turned out, Tony rarely forgot anything when he was drunk. In fact he claimed being drunk was when he came up with some of his best inventions. Clint was fairly certain that last bit was a lie, but it changed nothing. Tony was dead set on Clint protecting his heart. Clint wasn’t exactly as enthused, in fact he was silently freaking out. The possibility of screwing up Tony’s life again with the wrong romance, well, Clint wasn’t sure he’d be able to forgive himself. Plus he’d likely never get a good reference letter from Tony once he was fired. And there went the body-guarding business. Of course he could always go back to his old life, but the nightmares, he had enough to last him forever. No reason to add more. Maybe he’d try and be a chef. 

“So basically, the way I see it, if someone approaches me, you’ll stop them and tell them the rules.” Tony informed Clint as he ate breakfast and Clint stood there looking manly. Countless times Tony had told Clint that he could eat at the big boy table instead of hovering over his shoulder like a vulture, but Clint had always declined. Clint took protecting his boss very seriously. Too seriously, if you asked Tony, but Clint never had to. 

“Because that won’t be awkward for me at all.” Clint grumbled as he crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back against the wall behind him casually. 

Tony waved his hand at the thought. “Psh, you worry too much.” 

“I think you’re forgetting why you hired me.” Clint pointed out carefully and pushed away from the wall. “I’m the guy that keeps you from being kidnapped or hurt, remember? That’s important stuff. I’m not saying it’s more important than your heart, because your heart is important, but I’m not sure how much faith I have in myself to be screening your potential lovers and watching your back twenty four seven.” 

“Do you want me to repeat myself?” Tony frowned at Clint with mild annoyance. “Seriously, you’ll do fine. Besides, I hired another bodyguard to make sure nothing bad happens while you’re working out this whole heart thing.” 

Clint’s heart fell. “You did what?” 

“I knew you’d be all, ‘I vowed to protect and serve you’ so I decided to help you out.” Tony shrugged. 

“By giving my job away.” Clint stated calmly. “To a stranger.” 

“Not a stranger.” Tony shook his head. “I promoted Happy.” 

Happy. Great. Clint felt his heart sink deeper. Clint had earned his place as Tony’s bodyguard a long time ago. He and Tony were friends, at least Clint thought they were. Now he felt like he was being demoted or something. Replaced. Happy was head of security. He was a little odd, but he would die for Stark if asked too. 

Clint knew there was no reason to argue the point further. Now that Tony had his mind set on it nothing would change. “Seems like you’ve got it all figured out.” 

“Of course. But don’t worry, you still get to hang out with me, we’ll just have a bit more company when we leave the tower or when you have to go off and interview potential Mr. or Mrs. Starks.” 

Clint rolled his eyes. “Yeah, well, don’t expect this thing to work out overnight.” Odds were Tony would find himself in bed with the first bimbo he saw. Maybe. Possibly. Whatever.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for those who took the time to review ^^ You guys are amazing! This story was/is super fun to write and I'm glad to see that it's a fun read so far!

The first outing with Happy was almost enough to drive Clint mad. Clint was normally a fairly relaxed guy. Typically he was a one man show. He thrived at working solo or with a small team. It was only during the big events that he asked Stark’s other security officers to join in on the fun. Happy was clearly trying to impress Stark and maybe Clint too, but really his efforts were pissing Clint off more than anything else. 

The guy was sweet, Clint knew this, but Happy was a big presence and apparently liked to be in control. Clint and Tony had an understanding. They didn’t need to talk about things anymore, they knew what the other was thinking. If Clint looked at Tony a certain way it meant ‘stick close’ or if Clint touched Tony’s arm and disappeared for a few minutes it meant he was checking the parameter and that Tony should stay in sight. Small things like that were being taken over by ‘new’ protocols that Clint was not happy with. No pun intended.

It wasn’t so much the protocols as it was excessively talking about things. That and changing things. Clint frowned and glanced at Tony as Happy announced he was going to sweep the restaurant for possible threats. 

“This is stressful.” Clint pointed out. 

Tony shrugged. “Give the guy a break, it’s his first time. He wants to impress.” 

Clint narrowed his eyes. “Why does everything you say sound vaguely sexual?” 

“Better question: why does your mind immediately jump into the gutter, hmm?” Tony laughed. “Seriously, he’ll calm down. I think. Besides, it was either Happy or Maxwell and we all know how you feel about Maxwell.” 

“He’s a douchebag.” Clint remarked naturally as he leaned back in his seat to fake being relaxed. “Everyone feels that way, it’s not just me.” 

“Regardless,” Tony waved his hand and smirked. “Just remember it was him or Happy.” 

“Or we could just go back to the olden days, you know, like yesterday when things were normal and I was your only bodyguard?” Clint grumbled casually as the door opened and Happy gave them both a thumbs-up. 

“All clear, boss.” Happy announced.

Tony flashed an grin, “Where’s the fun in that?” He asked Clint before he climbed out of the limo and into the line of a million flashing cameras. It was a typical night, Clint thought to himself before he looked at Happy. Well, almost typical. 

The restaurant was a new Italian place that most people wouldn’t be able to eat at for a year unless they knew someone or were someone. Tony happened to fall into both categories since he knew the owner and happened to be a billionaire. Once inside there were a few people who stood and immediately came over to chat with Tony before he was even able to be guided to his private table in the corner. 

Clint stood back like normal; Happy was right there next to Tony’s shoulder. Served the billionaire right, really. Clint couldn’t find it within his heart to feel sympathy for the man. Not this soon, anyway. Maybe later. Clint smirked back at Tony when the billionaire tossed him a ‘help me’ glance before he, followed immediately by Happy, headed towards the table. It was rather satisfying, if only for a moment. 

About twenty minutes into Tony’s meal two men approached Tony’s table, interrupting the chat Tony was having with an old friend – emphasized on the word old. 

“Hey, you’re Tony Stark, right?” One of them asked. The speaker had a robotic prosthetic arm, but didn’t seem hindered by it at all. Clint recognized the technology – it was Tony’s design. A fully working arm made out of a light metal Clint couldn’t remember the name of. 

Tony raised an eyebrow and glanced over at Clint briefly. Clint nodded, silently reassuring his boss that he wasn’t about to let these two friends kidnap him. Besides, if Clint wasn’t there, Happy proved he was by standing so close he was probably brushing up against Tony’s suit. 

Clint eyed the friends. The man with the prosthetic had dark hair and dark eyes. He had a rouged look about him with stubble that decorated his chin. Clint sensed a bit of danger within the guy, but it wasn’t aimed towards Stark, so he seemed harmless. For now, at least. 

“That’s me.” Tony nodded towards the two strangers. “What can I do for you fine gentlemen?” Tony asked with a smirk he wiped his mouth with cloth napkin and leaned back in his chair. 

“Sorry, we didn’t mean to interrupt – ” The quiet blond man started to say, only for prosthetic guy to interrupt. 

“Steve, don’t be so modest.” 

“Buc-ky.” The blond, Steve, protested, but ‘Bucky’ apparently was not going to be deterred. 

“Mr. Stark, my dear friend here is a big fan of yours.” Bucky nodded to Steve, who looked mortified. “He’s quiet right now, but he’d like to ask you out for a drink or two, sometime, if you’re interested.” Bucky winked at Tony and Clint smirked briefly, only to realize this was the worst thing that had ever happened. 

“Ah,” Tony nodded and pointed to Clint. “Actually, there’s a process for that. See, I’ve had my run of luck recently with relationships. Bad luck, that is. Now there is a screening process. If you really want to buy me drinks,” Tony looked at Bucky, presumably because Steve’s eyes were fixed on the ground as he tried to hide behind the hand that covered most of his face. “You have to prove to that man,” Tony motioned for Clint to come over. Clint felt like staring at the ground might not be a bad idea as he glared and Tony continued. “That man right there that you have a worthy soul.” 

“Worthy soul?” Bucky repeated, one eyebrow raised. The man beamed so quickly Clint almost didn’t see the change of expression. “Steve here has the most worthy soul of any man out there.” He grinned at his friend who looked him in the eye with an expression that Clint could only translate as ‘please, please can we go now?’ It was endearing. 

Tony tossed a pointed glance at Clint. “Well, take their numbers or something.” 

Clint rolled his eyes and grabbed a napkin after stealing a pen from Tony’s shirt pocket. With one final glare aimed at his boss Clint turned around and handed the acquired tools to Bucky, because Steve looked frozen. Bucky happily took the provided pen and scribbled two numbers onto the napkin with flourished ease. With a grin Bucky handed it back over. “Call him tomorrow, he has the day off.” With a wink Bucky turned to Steve and proceeded to be dragged rather enthusiastically away by the younger man. 

Clint shook his head and glanced down at the number scrawled on the napkin. It wasn’t exactly the prettiest of handwriting, but Tony’s was worse. When he was drunk, which was often. 

“So, looks like Happy will be taking the lead on my security detail tomorrow.” Tony commented lightly as he went back to his meal. 

“I won’t let you down, boss.” Happy was quick to reply with a serious look in his eyes. Clint could tell the man was barely holding back a grin. Clint frowned when Happy gave Clint a hard look. A look of challenge. Happy had always felt a little bitter towards Clint after Clint had been hired to watch Tony’s back. Clint couldn’t really blame the guy, but it also made Clint nervous to know someone was after his job. Especially when it looked like Clint was going to be rather distracted for the next few days. If not longer.

“Tony, I’m your bodyguard, not your love expert.” Clint sighed, not thrilled with how this was being handled. “I care, I do, but I care more about you not dying.” 

Happy glared. “He won’t die under my watch, Barton.” Clearly Clint had insulted the man, but Clint couldn’t really bring himself to care. “He’s been lucky enough to survive under your watch for as long as he has.” And apparently Happy didn’t like how much distance Clint kept away from Tony. 

“I wasn’t suggesting that you would let anything happen.” Clint shot back. “Call me a control freak, but I don’t like Tony to be out of sight. He tends to get himself into trouble.” 

Happy snorted. “Maybe he only gets into trouble because you are a poor excuse for a guard!” 

“Seriously guys,” Tony waved at them both with one hand. “There is enough of me for everyone. Clint, think of it as a mild vacation. You get the days off and work nights. It’s not that big of a deal. My meetings always bore you anyway.” 

Clint frowned. That was beside the point. The point was Clint didn’t like the fact that he wouldn’t be around. What if something were to happen? Happy could most likely protect Tony from the normal stuff, but Tony’s enemies were clever. Too clever to underestimate. Then again Clint was a bit of a worrier. 

“If this goes to hell,” Clint grumbled with arms crossed over his chest. “Don’t expect me to come rescue you.” 

“He won’t need you too.” Happy huffed. “I would.” 

“Seriously guys,” Tony frowned. “I’m not that helpless.” 

Both Happy and Clint gave Tony a look that said they thought differently and Tony grunted unhappily, but shrugged it off and enjoyed the rest of his meal. 

Later on when Tony and Clint had returned to the living areas in Tony’s impressively large tower, Clint attempted to unwind a bit. His shoulders were knotted with tension and it was almost painful. Happy had literally driven Clint within an inch of insanity, but somehow he survived it. 

“So, when are you going to call my future prospect?” Tony asked while he poured himself a vodka soda. 

“How about never?” Clint grumbled unhappily, slumped back on the couch with his eyes closed. 

Clint could practically hear Tony frown. “Not an option. I pay you, remember?” 

With a groan Clint shook his head and opened his eyes. “Seriously? That’s the card you’re going to play? Low blow, Stark.” 

“Just keeping things in prospective.” Tony shrugged and took a sip of his drink. “Okay, you’re right. Low blow, but you know you want to help me.” 

“Not with this.” Clint grumbled. “What if I choose the wrong person and you get hurt worse?” The joke was gone now. Clint figured being honest might get him further than dancing around the real problem. 

“Clint, I trust you. Even if it doesn’t work out, at least I can blame you.” Tony laughed lightly. “Kidding. But seriously, I’m too easily distracted by a pretty face. You see into people’s hearts. You know what people feel before they do.” 

Clint stared at Tony for a moment. “Alright, I’ll do it.” With a sigh he pulled out the napkin and looked down at the number. “But I won’t like it.” 

“That’s the spirit.” Tony grinned and patted Clint on the back roughly. “Make sure to tell me how it goes.” Tony slapped Clint’s back one last time before he stepped away from his bodyguard’s swinging arm. “I’ll be in my lab!” Tony sang and promptly disappeared. 

Clint sighed again and slumped his shoulders in defeat as he stared down at the number. “This is going to suck.” He mumbled and pulled out his Stark cellphone. After a quick debate on what to say Clint decided to wing it and dialed the number. 

Someone answered after the first ring. “Hello?” The voice was a bit hesitant, probably because he didn’t recognize the number. Clint could understand that. 

“Hi, um, this is Clint Barton. I’m, uh, I work for Tony Stark.” Clint rolled his eyes. “I was told to get ahold of you.” He hesitated again. “Because, you know, you wanted to, uh,” 

“Oh, yeah.” Steve gratefully stopped Clint from making a bigger ass of himself. “Yes, okay. Uh, so I’ve never done this kind of thing before. Should we meet? Tomorrow? So you can – ”

“Interview you,” Clint offered. It was clear neither of them knew what the hell they were doing. Which was actually a bit of a relief. “Um, coffee?” 

“Sure.” Steve answered calmly. “That sounds fine.” 

“I’ll text you the address of a place.” Clint offered. “If that’s okay.” 

“Text.” Steve echoed. He sounded a little confused. “Oh, text. Gah, I’m sorry, I’m at war with technology. My phone probably gets texts. I’ll figure it out.” 

“Um, call me if you get confused.” Clint suggested. “Well, more confused?” 

“Thanks.” Steve sighed. “So, what time should we meet?” 

Clint frowned. “Oh yeah, time. Good point. Uh, let’s say, eight? Or is that too early? We could do nine.” 

“Eight’s fine.” Steve answered. “I’ll see you then.” 

“See you.” Clint nodded along with his goodbye and hung up the phone. Well, Clint considered, thinking back over what he’d seen of Steve so far. He seemed shy, hansom, timid – nothing like Tony’s usual partners. He was a lot like Pepper. Well, she wasn’t really shy or timid, so maybe not, Clint thought. That could either be a good or bad thing. 

After a moment of consideration Clint typed out his text and sent the directions to Steve along with the time. At least the guy didn’t seem like a total freak show. Yet. Clint figured there was always the possibility that would change. Most people did. Some people changed more than others people did, though. Clint knew that better than most how emotions of love, anger and jealously could sway the mind. Maybe that was why he was more aware of those changes in others around him. Like Pepper and Rhode. 

Clint had experienced betrayal all throughout his life due to emotions and changes. Although that knowledge rarely helped Clint in his own relationships, it did help him see changes in others. From Clint’s older brother Barney to his mentors at the circus, Clint had been betrayed over and over. Each time someone close to Clint betrayed him Clint had been surprised. Looking back Clint figured it had to do with perception mixed with being too close to a situation. 

With Tony, Clint was a third party looking in. He could see what Tony was blinded to. At least someone could benefit from Clint’s ‘gift’ even if Clint wasn’t offered the same courtesy. 

It wasn’t like Clint needed such a skill in his own life anyway. He didn’t mind being single or the fact that his job was the center of his life. It was simpler that way. Simple, after living a very complex and complicated life, was nice. Clint certainly didn’t want to screw up his nice, simple life by throwing love into the mixture. 

Dealing with Stark’s love life would be hard enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed!
> 
> TBC


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the massive delay. Life kind of sucks. 
> 
> Thank you for all who took the time to comment, follow, and give kudos! You rock!

The next morning Clint was the first person in the tower to wake. Or at least that’s the way it felt – if he were being honest it felt that way most days. The only time Clint wasn’t the first one awake was when Tony forgot sleep was necessary for all human beings. 

“Good morning, Master Barton.” Jarvis greeted from, well, wherever Jarvis’s voice came from. Clint wasn’t a mechanic like Tony. Sure Clint knew his ins and outs of basic machinery and cars, but he didn’t fully grasp the technical aspects of all of Tony’s inventions. They existed and Clint existed around them. As long as Tony didn’t have Clint assist him in ‘fixing’ anything again, they were safe. Although Clint strongly believed that Tony had meant for that thing to blow up…

Jarvis, Tony’s electronic, omnipresent butler was Clint’s favorite of Tony’s inventions. The accented voice was smart, witty and had a personality that made him seem human. Clint liked to consider Jarvis a friend. 

“Hey, Jarv.” Clint greeted in return as he grabbed an apple from a bowl on the counter. “Did Tony ever make it to bed last night?” Clint asked with mild curiosity as he checked his phone. There were no miss calls or messages from Steve, so Clint figured they were still on for eight o’clock. If all else failed, at least Clint would get coffee.

“Sir was up quite late last night working on a project.” Jarvis answered. “I estimate he will remain asleep for the rest of the morning. However, I will wake Sir before his afternoon meeting.” 

“Use the loud alarm.” Clint advised before he finished off his apple and tossed the core into the trash with expert precision. 

“Of course,” Jarvis agreed. They both knew that Tony could be impossible to wake up if no one was there to physically drag him out of bed. Most of the time it was fine because Clint was around to do the honors, but when he wasn’t the loud alarm worked just fine. 

With another glance thrown at the clock Clint sighed. He would need to leave soon if he wanted to get to the coffee shop early enough to check things over. Even years after Clint stopped working for a super secret spy organization, he couldn’t shake old habits. Arrive to the site early. Walk the parameter multiple times. Check for exits. Check for possible kill zones. Check for traps. Check for suspicious people. Check for suspicious things. It wasn’t like Clint hadn’t been to the coffee house before, but one could never be too careful. Even if it was slightly annoying, his ingrained paranoia had helped in Clint’s new job. The know-how had saved Tony and Clint’s life more than once since their adventure began. So there was that. 

“Catch ya later, Jarv.” Clint sighed and headed towards the elevators. 

“Have a good day, Master Barton.” Jarvis chimed back pleasantly. 

The walk through the city was pleasant. It was nice to be out and about and not have to check for any signs of possible danger. Not that there wasn’t the possibility that someone from Clint’s past might show up and try and kill him, but Clint could defend himself if it happened. 

The air had a bite of cold, but it wasn’t unbearable yet. Clint’s grey sweater and leather jacket kept the frigid wind out. Snow hadn’t started to stick to the ground yet and for that Clint was grateful. Snow always brought up bad memories for Clint. Not only was it cold, wet and miserable, but it was a constant reminder of the horrific car crash that had taken his mother and his father from the world. Not that his father was a big loss, but even though he was an abusive bastard, Clint wondered if he had lived maybe he would have eventually changed. People changed from good to bad, so they probably could change from bad to good. 

Clint shook off the memory as he walked. It hadn’t snowed yet, so there was no reason to stir up those thoughts or memories until he had no other choice. 

He turned the corner and arrived at the little hole in the wall coffee joint he’d chosen to meet Steve at. It was stuck in the middle of two large skyscrapers. It was a simple, two story brick building that almost looked like a hybrid love child of Gothic and Victorian. With a quick glance down at his watch Clint noted he had fifteen minutes before Steve was supposed to arrive. When he glanced up again he was surprised to find Steve already there. 

The taller man stood awkwardly and faced down the other side of the street, away from Clint. Clint smirked a little to himself. He guessed if he were to be meeting a glorified ‘match maker’ he’d arrive early too. 

So much for checking for kill zones.

“You get points for punctuality.” Clint commented lightly to Steve’s back. The taller man startled, turned and smiled sheepishly when he realized who had spoken. 

“I don’t trust myself not to get lost yet.” He grinned. “The city has changed since the last time I lived here.” He admitted timidly as the two of them headed inside. 

“Oh? Where’d you move back from?” Clint asked curiously. It helped that talking to Steve seemed easy, at least so far. Maybe that would make this process easier in the long run. Tony must have been vaguely interested since he’d practically insisted Clint meet with Steve. 

“Oh, a lot of places, really. I was fighting in Iraq for a bit, then I was moved around to a few other bases in Europe before I finished my tour.” 

Clint nodded. “So you’re a soldier,” He tipped his head a bit to glance at Steve beside him as they stood in line. “So, your friend, uh, Bucky, right? He was in your unit?” 

Steve nodded and looked a bit sad and happy all at the same time. “Yeah, he’s actually a big reason why I wanted to meet Mr. Stark.” 

“Um, Tony.” Clint corrected carefully. “If you end up dating him, ‘Mr. Stark’ is a bit formal.” 

“Oh, okay, good to know.” Steve smiled gratefully. “Anyway, I was there when Bucky was injured. He’s my best friend and I was in charge of the operation. I was supposed to protect him, but – ” Steve’s expression grew sad as he let the thought trail off. Clint didn’t need to hear the rest of that story. He understood how awful that kind of situation was. 

“Anyway,” Steve tried to smile through the obviously painful story. “When Buck lost his arm he was in a really bad place. It was through one of Stark Industries charity programs that Bucky was given his prosthetic. It pretty much saved his life.” 

Clint blinked a little as he realized what program Steve was talking about. Just before last Thanksgiving Tony had just finished his prototype for a robotic arm. He’d made it because he thought it was cool, but Clint had commented on how many amputees’ lives could be rebuilt with that technology. Tony had taken his word to heart because the program was created. Each year on Thanksgiving Tony donated the arms to soldiers and other amputees as early Christmas gifts. This year he planned to add robotic legs into the mix, but he was still working out a few kinks. It was a great program and Clint took a little bit of pride in the part he played in creating it, even if it was a very small part. 

It was nice to be able to hear a happy story sparked from one of his off-handed comments to Stark. 

“So, you feel grateful towards Stark, then?” Clint asked lightly after he’d given his semi-complicated order to the girl behind the counter and paid for his and Steve’s drink. 

“You didn’t have to pay.” Steve rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. 

Clint shrugged. “Don’t worry about it.”

“Well, thanks.” Steve smiled and they moved down the counter to wait for their drinks to be made. “It’s not just about gratefulness, of course.” Steve returned to their reason of being there. “I don’t know. I’m not a stalker, or anything like that. I really hadn’t paid much attention to Mr. Stark, I mean, Tony, until he saved my friend. I just think someone who comes up with a program like that must have a really good heart.” 

Clint nodded. As much as Tony tended to be a bit self absorbed, the man did have a golden heart under his playboy armor. If Tony allowed himself to feel all the emotions of the world, Stark would likely buy all the orphans’ families and ponies for Christmas. 

“That’s a nice reason.” Clint commented, more to himself than to Steve. For all the many reasons why most people wanted to date Tony, Steve’s seemed genuine and from the heart. Granted Clint had only just started talking to the man, but Clint was also a pretty good judge of character. Mostly. 

They settled at a small table together in the corner. The coffeehouse wasn’t busy by any means. Most people came, got their coffee and left just as quickly. 

After a sip of his coffee Clint realized Steve was giving him a slightly odd look. “What?” He asked and quickly rubbed the back of his hand under his nose to make sure he didn’t have a booger dangling. Damn the cold. That would be embarrassing. “Is there something on my face?” Clint asked when he didn’t feel anything. 

“Oh, no nothing.” Steve blushed. “Sorry, it’s just, we haven’t been approached by anyone.” 

“Huh?” Clint raised an eyebrow. “Were you expecting someone?” He asked with open confusion as he looked around. 

“No.” Steve shook his head. “It’s just, you are Tony Stark’s bodyguard. I just imagined a lot of people trying to talk to you.” 

Clint laughed. “Me? Why?” 

Steve blushed harder. “Same as me, I guess. To get close to Mr. St—I mean, Tony.” 

With a snort Clint shook his head. “Ah ha, no. I get paid to be invisible.” He winked. “I’m there to guard Tony, not to share in his spotlight.” Clint explained kindly. “Actually I was surprised you even remembered what I looked like.” 

“That’s hard to believe.” Steve frowned thoughtfully. 

“Trust me.” Clint sighed and than a thought hit him. “Actually, I’ll prove it. There was a big TV conference last week. I stood behind Tony, doing what I do. It was a wide angle shot, shockingly, so I did get some airtime. I know because my friend Natasha called me up and chewed me out. Anyway, did you watch it?” 

Steve frowned, “Yes.” He admitted. 

“Do you remember seeing me at all?” Clint gave a fake smile like he was posing for a picture. 

Steve’s shoulders slumped forward a little after he shook his head. “No, I guess not.” 

“That’s good, I’m not paid to be noticed. I’m paid to be the guy people forget.” Clint shrugged again. “It helps me with my job and truthfully I don’t like all that attention. This,” Clint motioned to the air in between them, “Is a new part of my job that Tony came up with a few nights ago.” 

“Oh,” Steve’s eyes widened in surprise. “I’m sorry, I didn’t realize this was abnormal for you.” 

Clint laughed. “Really? That phone call last night didn’t give me away?” 

Steve smiled shyly. “Well, some people are just awkward on the phone.” 

“Says the guy who wasn’t sure if he had texting on his phone.” Clint shot back playfully. Banter was good. Tony would like someone who could hold their own with banter. 

“You may have a point.” Steve laughed. “But really, I didn’t realize this was abnormal. If you want to call it a day, or whatever, we don’t have to continue, this, um, interview.” 

Clint waved Steve’s worries away with a flick of his wrist. “Forget it. This isn’t as bad as I thought it would be anyway.” He grinned. “At least you don’t seem like you’re a serial killer or a super stalker, so, those are points in your favor.” 

Steve’s lips curled into another shy smile. “Well, thanks, I guess.” 

“You’re welcome.” Clint grinned. “Okay, so we’ve covered what your connection with Stark is and that you don’t appear to be creepy, I guess I should ask you about your hobbies? Um, do you have a job currently? That kind of stuff.” 

“You really are new at this.” Steve laughed. 

“Just a lot.” Clint nodded with a flash of a smile.

“Okay, well, hobbies, um, I draw.” Steve answered easily. “As for work, I’m currently working at a bookstore. Not one of those big corporate ones, but a small family owned one. Bucky’s grandmother owns it. She practically raised us both. My parent’s died when I was young and Bucky’s family was always traveling, so we spent a lot of time in that bookstore. It’s not what I want to do long term, I don’t think, but for right now it’s perfect.”

Clint listened quietly as Steve spoke and nodded along. He was surprised to hear Steve was orphaned as well at a young age, thankfully it didn’t sound like he had to spend much time in an orphanage. Clint wouldn’t wish that experience on anyone. Granted Clint realized that no all orphanages were like the one he lived at for some of his childhood. 

“That sounds like a pretty peaceful job.” Clint nodded. After fighting in the war it would be a good change. “Not to pry, but I am curious what you want to do long term.” 

“Oh, well I’m taking some art classes at the community college near the bookstore. I kind of always pictured myself using my ability to draw for, well, something. Anything, really.” Steve admitted timidly. 

“That’s cool.” Clint smiled in return. “Sorry, I mean, it’s all useful information, but, uh, I feel like interrogating you or something.” 

“Nah,” Steve shook his head. “It’s an interview and at least you seem interested in my boring life.” 

“It’s not boring.” Clint told him and sighed. “Okay, so – ” 

Whatever Clint had been about to say was cut off by his own phone ringing. Immediately Clint went out of ‘relaxed’ mode and into ‘work’ mode as he pulled out his phone and answered the call. “Barton.” He grunted, half terrified that it was Happy calling to say Tony had been kidnapped – or worse. 

“Clint!” Tony’s too chipper voice made Clint’s frown deepen. “Are you done interviewing the guy from last night? I have another prospect I want you to meet, she’s hot. Oh, and you’re a douchebag.” 

Clint looked at Steve who mouthed, ‘is everything okay?’ as if he truly was concerned. After a beat Clint nodded.

“Tony, shouldn’t you be in a meeting?” Clint asked and forced himself to relax a bit more now that he knew the world wasn’t coming to an end. Yet. 

“I just got out of the meeting. Low blow this morning. You know I hate the loud alarm.”

“Well if you’d wake up like a normal –”

“Anyway,” Tony skillfully interrupted. “I have her information. She’s the assistant of another grade A douchebag, but I figured we could bond over that.” Tony explained without losing his cheer. 

In all honesty the person Tony was describing sounded more like a one-night stand rather than a person worth dating. Still, Clint had a job to do. “Fine, send me the information.” 

“Great!” Tony cheered in a way that made Clint think he was probably fist bumping the air. “You two are going to have brunch, so I’d head over to meet her.”

“Tony – ” Clint frowned, but Stark had already hung up the phone on his end. Clint pulled his phone from his ear and looked at the screen unhappily. A second later he got the text containing the information he’d need to find the next…prospect. 

With a sigh Clint looked at Steve apologetically. “Duty calls.” He admitted. “Apparently the rest of my life is going to be going out on pre-dates for my boss.” Clint frowned. “Until I can get him into a stable relationship.” Clint shrugged and stood with Steve who looked equally disappointed. 

They shook hands and Steve smiled although Clint could tell he was disappointed. “Well, it was nice meeting you.” 

“I’ll put in a good word for you.” Clint added. “Or I’ll have to meet up with you again, I don’t know. I’ll let you know what happens, though.” 

“I’ll make sure to keep my phone charged.” Steve smiled. 

Clint flashed a smile back and together they walked out of the coffeehouse together. “Well, until next time.” Clint joked. 

Steve nodded. “Until then.” He nodded with a small wave. Clint smiled one last time with a slight nod before he turned and started down the street. In order to save himself some awkwardness and embarrassment Clint refused to let himself look back through the crowded streets at Steve.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed! I don't have a beta, so forgive me for any grammatical errors I missed!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for vanishing! I've been going though some stuff.
> 
> I hope this doesn't suck.

Clint arrived at the restaurant for bunch early. Tony made the reservations so Clint knows what name to ask for when he steps up to the lady in the front. 

“Right this way, sir.” The lady announced with a frown as she eyed Clint. “You aren’t Mr. Stark.” She commented as they walked. Clint could tell the comment was made out of pure disappointment. It wasn’t exactly subtle. He silently hoped that she hadn’t switched her shifts or bribed someone to be the one who led the infamous Tony Stark to his table. 

“Nope,” Clint agreed. “But he set up this, um, meeting.” There really was no reason to explain the circumstances to a stranger, so Clint didn’t go into further detail as she led him to a table on the second floor. Clint always had felt awkward in places like this. The way he had grown up left a lingering fear of spending too much money at one time. For most of his childhood Clint had nibbled on this and that making sure that he had enough squirreled away for later. 

The upper area was meant for patrons that didn’t want to be seen or bothered while they dined. It was quieter up there with the tables separated farther apart. Tony had requested one of the tables that overlooked the sitting area below. Tony had at least considered Clint’s love of heights, it was nice, Clint had to admit as he eyed the people below him. Clint never indulged himself with eating at such restaurants when he accompanied Tony. 

It would be weird picking out a meal that cost more than ten dollars, especially when ten dollars always felt like too much. 

“Have a seat, the waiter will be by for your drink order.” The hostess informed Clint with a critical look. “I’ll send the other party up here when they arrive.” 

“Thanks.” Clint told the girl, but she had already turned her heels and walked away. With a shrug Clint sat down in one of the elegant wooden chairs and looked down towards the entrance to wait for whoever was to join him. 

The waiter came by and Clint considered his choices. “Water will be fine.” Clint decided after a moment. It was habit really. On the rare occasion he did go out to eat he tended to avoid overpaying for soda or something else. 

“Would you like a wedge of lemon, orange, lime or strawberry with your water?” The waiter asked kindly. 

Clint blinked at the sudden array of options for water and shook his head. “Lime would be fine.” He answered with a weary smile. The waiter nodded and left to fetch the water. Clint glanced back down towards the door just as a familiar person walked in. 

“No way.” Clint mumbled and stood up to lean over the railing to whistle. The redhead looked up, apparently surprised and waved slightly before she said something to the hostess and headed up to meet Clint. 

“What the hell are you doing here?” Natasha Romanoff asked as she approached Clint’s table. “And how the hell are you paying for this crap? Mr. Cheap-is-me.” 

Clint laughed and gave his old friend a hug. They hadn’t seen one another much since Clint had left the organization known to few as SHIELD. “Tell me you are not the woman Tony Stark wants to date.” 

Natasha wrinkled up her nose and shook her head. “Wait, what? No. I’m here meeting a friend. Why are you meeting Tony’s – whatever?” 

Clint sat back down in his wooden chair and sighed. “It’s a long story, but it ends with me having to guard his heart and choose who he dates.” 

“Wow.” Natasha grinned and shook her head. “Are you at least getting a raise?” 

Clint shrugged at her question. “I’m getting free meals at expensive restaurants. Does that count?” 

“No,” Natasha laughed again. “Not when you cook better than this place. It’s over priced, and don’t get the oatmeal. I know you were thinking about it, just don’t. I swear it’s poisonous here.” 

“Good to know.” Clint winced. “So who are you meeting?” 

“Bruce Banner.” Natasha smiled. 

“Oo, a Doctor.” Clint teased. “How’s that going?” 

Natasha glared. “This isn’t a date. I’m simply trying to woo him to work for SHIELD.”

Clint shook his head. “That’s low. Seriously. Sending a pretty face to seduce a poor smart guy. Really, that’s the shit that made me leave SHIELD. At least I don’t have to seduce anyone for Stark.”

“Not that SHIELD ever sent you to woo anyone.” Natasha shook her head. 

Clint sighed. “You’re right, who would want this face anyway.” It was meant to be a joke, but it came out kind of bitter. “Sorry, my morning coffee was interrupted by this, thing, so I’m a little off-balanced.”

“Not to worry.” Natasha smiled lightly. “We should get together sometime, when you’re not working.” 

Clint grinned at that. “When am I not working?” 

“Seriously Clint,” Natasha sighed. “I miss you.” 

“Sure,” Clint nodded. “Have fun with Dr. Banner.” 

Natasha nodded and waved and headed back down to the floor below to meet up with the good doctor. Banner was a big name back in SHIELD. He was a brilliant scientist. In the wrong hands he could be dangerous, but if he worked for SHIELD they hoped to put him to good use. 

“Hi,” Someone broke Clint out of his thoughts. He turned and looked at the woman standing next to the table and stood abruptly. 

“Hey.” Clint fumbled then held out his hand to the stranger. She was blond, big boobs and bright green eyes. She was dressed professionally in a grey pencil and an expensive looking white blouse. She was probably on her lunch break. Temporarily freed from her boss Mr. McDouchey, or whomever Tony had mentioned before. “Um, have a seat.” Clint ushered with his hand pointed towards the open seat across from him. She nodded and sat down and crossed her thin, glossy legs to show off some impressive heels. 

“You can order whatever you’d like,” Clint told her kindly. “When the waiter comes back.” Clint added when she raised an eyebrow. 

“I have to say this is all a bit of an insult.” The woman commented drily. 

Clint’s eyes widened a little. “Did you prefer another restaurant?” It wasn’t like he had chosen the place to meet, so Clint couldn’t feel too bad. He couldn’t, but he did. Guilt was second nature to him by now. 

“No, not that.” The girl waved her perfectly manicured hand as if she had swatted a bug away. “This.” She nodded to the table between them. “I’ve never had to interview with the hired help to go out on a date with someone before.” 

Clint narrowed his eyes immediately, not thrilled with the girl’s attitude. Steve had been rather understanding of everything. Whether that was because he realized that being a nice person got you farther in life than being an asshole, Clint couldn’t say, but this girl wasn’t even trying to be nice. 

“Well if it’s too much of an inconvenience I can just inform Mr. Stark that you were no longer interested.” Clint moved to stand and the girl shot him a death glare. 

“We’re not done.” She hissed through perfectly white teeth. “I’m insulted, but that doesn’t mean I don’t like a challenge.” Her lips twitched into a feral smirk and Clint sighed and resettled in his chair. Clint had a feeling this was going to be one hell of a long meal.

“Alright.” Clint sighed unhappily. “I guess we should start with your name.” Clint told her as he pulled out a small notepad he’d picked up on the way over to the restaurant. Vaguely he realized that he hadn’t asked what Steve’s last name was. He’d have to text the man later to do a proper background check. 

“Heather Moore.” She answered and snapped at the waiter as he walked by. “Can I order my drink? Honestly the service here used to be impressive.” She grumbled as the man tried to apologize. “I’ll have a ice tea with fresh lemon. Don’t give me anything dry or I’ll have a chat with your manager.” 

Wow, Clint thought as he glanced at the waiter apologetically before the man hurried off to do Heather’s bidding. He was going to have to leave one hell of a tip. “Are you always so,” Clint considered his phrasing. “Straight forward.” 

Heather frowned. “You have to be with people like him.” She eyed him critically. “I’m sure Tony is hard on you too. It’s the only way to insure people do things right the first time. Fear is a very powerful manipulator, Mr.?” 

Although Clint was thoroughly insulted he couldn’t exactly leave. Tony would want a full report; or at least a really good reason for Clint to have written off the ‘hot’ prospect. “Barton. Clint Barton.” 

“Barton?” Heather wrinkled her nose like she’d smelled something bad. “Okay, fine.” 

The waiter returned and placed Heather’s ice tea on the table, a lemon sat on a plate on his other hand with a knife next to it. Silently the waiter, Rick, Clint spied his nametag, sliced the lemon up expertly and looked at Heather. 

“Does everything meet your satisfaction?” The waiter asked with a nervous, but still kind, smile. Clint gave the man props for not being angry. Clint was pissed off for Rick.

Heather was not impressed at all. Blandly she rolled her eyes. “Barely.” She answered. “I’m ready to order.” She huffed and glared at Clint who instantly regretted not looking over the menu earlier. 

“The French toast.” Clint picked randomly. The place was known for its breakfast menu so Clint figured French toast was a safe bet.

“Excellent choice, sir.” The waiter smiled and looked towards Heather patiently. 

“I’ll have a feta and spinach omelet with fresh eggs, fresh spinach and fresh feta.” The woman ordered and emphasized the word ‘fresh’ each time she said it. It grated on Clint’s nerves. “Tell the chef to add a teaspoon of cinnamon and a handful of crushed almonds.” 

Clint raised an eyebrow but the waiter nodded. “I’ll have your meals out to you shortly.” Rick smiled and left them alone. 

“The idiot didn’t write a single thing down.” Heather companied before Rick was out of earshot. “I bet you fifty dollars that both of our orders will be wrong.” 

“I’ll take that action. I bet you that everything will be exactly the way you and I ordered it.” Clint didn’t have fifty dollars on him, but he trusted Rick. The guy was nice and clearly more patient than anyone else Clint had ever met. That made Clint give Rick the benefit of the doubt. Hell, Rick was making a better impression than Heather was. He’d be more worthy to date Tony. 

“I’ll be happy to see you proven wrong.” Heather replied snidely. 

Clint resisted the urge to roll his eyes and settled himself in for an awkward meal. “Okay, so, why Mr. Stark?” Clint asked, emphasizing the world ‘Mr.’ since this woman clearly had no right to call Tony by his first name. Likely Clint was going to write this one off as a loss, but he wanted to bring Tony all the hard facts first. Even if it was worse than torture. 

“Stark is hansom, powerful. We’d make an excellent match. With my cunning and his brilliance we’d be a formidable pair.” 

Clint narrowed his eyes. “So, you’re blatantly telling me that you want to date Tony Stark for his power.” 

“I know this is all very difficult for a man like you to understand,” Heather told Clint with a look of pity people used to give Clint back in grade school when he was struggling to learn something. “But in our world, the world of the privileged, we don’t marry for love. We marry to mutually benefit and grow more power. That doesn’t mean that we wouldn’t get along.” Heather assured him when Clint couldn’t find anything kind to say. “I’m sure we could make arrangements.” 

Before Clint could figure out how to end the brunch and leave, Rick returned with two plates. One with Clint’s French toast, which looked delicious, and the other plate held Heather’s meal. As far as Clint could tell it looked to be made to Heather’s exact specifications. 

“This is all wrong.” Heather insisted before Rick could ask if everything looked all right to them. 

Rick stiffened and immediately dawned an expression of apology. “What appears to be the problem, miss?” 

“Where are my crushed almonds?” She demanded. 

Clint frowned and picked up his fork, leaned forward and started to point. “Here, here, here – ” The glare Heather gave Clint in return for his unwanted help would have turned any other man’s blood to ice. Clint just smiled sweetly in return. “And there.” He added before sitting back. 

Rick looked grateful, despite Heather’s murderous expression. 

“This is an outrage!” She wailed, which caught a few glances from people at other tables. Clint waved at them and a few giggled in response. 

“Um, why?” Clint slumped back into his chair. Seriously Tony was going to have to give him a bonus for this shit. 

“You mean other than the fact that I had to meet with an uneducated man-child like you before I could go on a proper date with someone of my class?” Heather shrieked as she threw her napkin down on her plate of untouched food. “I’m done. You can tell Stark that he can call me when he’s ready to date me. I’m not sitting here and taking this insult.” 

Clint watched her storm off and tilted his chair back on two legs with a relieved sigh. “Well, that could have gone longer.” He grinned cheerfully at Rick who was pale. 

“I hope it wasn’t anything I did or said.” Rick commented sincerely and Clint couldn’t help but think the man was sweet. 

“Trust me, it was a her thing. You are a saint.” Clint told the man and abruptly leaned forward. “So, tell me Rick, are you single?” 

Rick blinked back at Clint and frowned. “Um, no, I’m married.” 

“Damn.” Clint sulked. “Oh well, thank you for this lovely meal and I’ll be sure to inform the manager that your service was great, even given my, uh, guests, attitude. I do apologize for that.” Clint pulled out his wallet and handed Rick the only cash he had. “Here, it’s all I have on me, but I’ll make sure my boss gives you a generous tip as well.” 

The shock on Rick’s face was enough to lighten Clint’s mood. “Thank you, sir! If you need anything else,” 

“Perhaps a to-go box.” Clint smiled. “This isn’t really my scene.” He glanced at Heather’s forgotten food and considered. “Two to-go boxes, that actually looks kind of good.” Clint gestured to the food in question. There was need to let perfectly edible food go to waste. 

“I’ll be right back.” Rick nodded and hurried off. Once Clint had his food boxed up he thanked Rick one last time, talked with the manager so that she was aware of her employees excellent work ethic and then finally was free to head home. 

Of course life could never be that easy. His phone rang and reluctantly he answered. “Barton.” 

“Tell me you loved her.” Tony’s voice sounded in Clint’s ear. 

Briefly Clint considered breaking it to the man gently. 

“She was the bitchiest woman I have ever met.” Clint hissed through clenched teeth. “I could give you a very detailed list of all the reasons why you are never going to go out with that woman, but I’m lazy, tired and hungry.” 

Tony was quiet for a moment and Clint’s heart fell, as if he realized that bad news was about to happen. “So,” Tony dragged the word out carefully. “You’d be pretty angry with me if I told you that I maybe scheduled you to meet with someone else today?” 

Silently Clint dropped his hands to his side, phone still clutched in one hand tightly and the bag with the cartons of food in the other. At this point Clint wanted nothing more than to hang up the phone and find a new job. However, Clint, even though he hated Tony, still liked Tony. The man was his friend and Clint wasn’t about to leave him after one awful day. At least it had started off decently, Clint thought back to Steve. 

“Clint? Are you still there?” Tony sang into the phone. “Cli-int.” 

“Fine.” Clint grumbled with a touch of defeat. “Where do you need me to go?” 

“That’s what I like to hear!” Tony cheered loudly into the receiver. Clint winced, but even if Tony could see the expression it wouldn’t have deterred him from his excitement. “You actually have a little while. You’re meeting this guy for drinks tonight at eight.” 

“Eight?” Clint wasn’t that big on drinking, but he’d have the excuse of working, anyway. 

“Eight.” Tony confirmed cheerfully. “I really like this one, I think you’ll agree.” 

“You thought I’d like Heather. I didn’t.” Clint pointed out sadly. “I’m headed back to the tower, are you there or are you off somewhere else?”

“Off somewhere else.” Tony admitted with an unhappy sigh. “I’ve got my faithful shadow to protect me though.” He meant Happy, Clint rolled his eyes. A shadow was an accurate description for the most part, but shadows were silent, Happy…not so much. 

“I could come to you.” Clint offered and tried to ignore his angry stomach as it roared loudly in protest. 

“Nah.” Tony brushed off Clint’s offer. “I’m good. There’s no need for the both of us to be stuck in meetings all day. Tomorrow we’ll do something fun. Like blow things up.” 

Clint considered the offer and nodded slowly. “Fine, but only if I don’t have to go on any more of these ridiculous dates.”

“Dates?” Tony snickered. 

Clint wished he could suck the word back in. “Interviews, dates, they’re both basically the same thing – and it sucks, Stark. Loudly.” 

“You’ll get used to it.” Tony informed Clint happily. “See you soon, snookum.” 

With a disgruntled sigh Clint ended the connection without another word. He glanced down at his takeout boxes and over his shoulder at Stark Tower. Even though Clint tended to run much farther in the morning, the distance seemed incredibly vast at the moment. Enough that he hailed a cab and opted to relax for a bit. 

Since he’d started working for Tony Clint had even less time to himself than he had at SHIELD. That didn’t bother him since he enjoyed the work, for the most part. Some things with Stark could be boring, like board meetings and what not, most of it was fun. Plus Tony was a good person, under the surface – sometimes on the surface, but outsiders rarely saw that version of Stark. Tony may be a little selfish at times, but Clint knew worst people who did far less good in their spar time. 

Clint hadn’t regretted leaving SHIELD yet, well, before the whole ‘guard my heart’ thing started. Still, Tony hadn’t just asked him to do this as an employee. He’d done it as a friend. A friend who had trusted Clint enough to find him someone who was worthy of his heart. That was a huge thing to ask of someone and it may have been causing Clint some stress. A lot of stress. 

Clint didn’t want to think about it.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter? So soon? Something must be wrong with me...  
> ^^ Enjoy!

Thankfully the guy Clint was supposed to meet for drinks cancelled last minute. Clint spent his day with his bow on the shooting range Tony had built for him. It was rare that Clint was able to work with his favorite weapon. 

It was one of the downfalls of bodyguard work. People tended to pay a bit more attention when someone had an odd object strapped to their back. Not that a bow was anything like a bomb or a sword, but it still drew attention and attention was the exact opposite of what Clint was going for. 

Clint shot until his fingers bled. He never missed a single shot even though he was a bit out of practice. Happily he showered and headed upstairs only to learn that his interview – he refused to think of them as dates ever again – had been canceled. Clint considered it an early birthday present and lounged around until Tony returned. 

Once at the Tower Tony no longer needed Happy’s assistance, so Stark arrived alone. After the day Clint had been having, he couldn’t be more grateful. 

“So Heather was that bad, huh?” Tony asked conversationally when he spotted Clint lounging on the couch. When they were in the Tower it was more likely that Clint would relax. Jarvis was there as an extra pair of eyes. 

“Worse.” Clint grumbled with his eyes still shut. “If you ever see that woman again, run.” 

Tony chuckled and dropped down in one of his cushy chairs. “My bad. She was hot, though.” He shrugged as Clint looked over at him. “That’s why I have you. To steer me in the right direction.” 

“I deserve a raise.” Clint huffed and closed his eyes again. 

“Maybe.” Tony vaguely agreed.   
__

The next day, as Tony had promised, consisted of work in the lab. Clint happily watched Tony as he created this and that while harshly loud music threatened to destroy his hearing. At least Stark liked the classic, Clint wasn’t sure he’d survive a day in the lab if Tony blasted country music. 

That night they went out to another fancy restaurants and Tony secured three more dates – interviews – for Clint the following day. 

“Maybe I should lock you away in the Tower.” Clint grumbled as they drove back home. 

“What, like a damsel in distress?” Tony wrinkled up his nose in distaste. 

“No,” Clint shook his head. “Like a billionaire, playboy idiot who attracts far too many people with what some might mistakenly call charm.” 

Tony grinned obnoxiously, “I know you love me.” 

“Barely.”   
__

That night after Tony had gone to what Clint hoped was bed and not his lab, his phone rang. 

“Barton.” Clint spoke into the receiver. He half expected it to be Nick Fury proposing that in light of Clint’s new job requirements he might want to ditch Stark and rejoin SHIELD. Natasha was just enough of a bitch to inform his former boss of his ‘matchmaker’ status. 

“Clint?” A hesitant voice that was definitely not Nick Fury answered. “Or, Mr. Barton, I don’t know what I should call you.” Steve stressed awkwardly over the line. Clearly when he’d mentioned how people could be awkward over the phone he had been speaking from personal experience. 

“Steve,” Clint greeted in happy surprise. “Clint’s fine. I’m not all that proper.” He grinned. “What can I do for you?” 

There was a pause and Clint could hear something rustle in the background – maybe papers being moved around. “Oh, nothing really. I just wanted – well, what I mean is, I was just wondering if you – uh, have you talked to Mr. I mean, Tony, yet? About me, that is.” 

Clint’s eyes widened. Holy crap he’d forgotten. The one good ‘match’ Clint had interviewed so far and Clint hadn’t mentioned it. Worst yet, Tony hadn’t asked about Steve, which usually meant that Tony had forgotten about him or in the simplest terms, lost interest. All of which was not good news for Steve. 

“Honestly, no, but I think it’s a point to your favor.” Clint explained. “Before you meet him I feel like I need to meet with you a few more times. Just to get you ready and to make sure you are a good fit together, you know?” This was awkward. So far Steve was the best person in Clint’s eyes. He had what appeared to be a pure heart and good intentions, but that could all just be an act. Clint needed to be sure before he told Tony he found ‘the one.’ 

“Oh,” Steve breathed on the other end of the line. “Yeah, that makes sense. Um, when would you like to meet?” 

Clint winced a little to himself. He had a pretty full day planned out for him, but he figured he could squeeze Steve in. Somehow he could make it work. “Um, after breakfast from nine until eleven or after lunch from two until five. Or I could meet you later on tomorrow night.” Clint added. It was weird how hard Clint was trying to make this work out. After the previous day, though, it made sense that Clint wanted at least one good thing to happen.

“Mm,” Steve considered his options. “Tomorrow night would probably work best. I don’t want to leave the store and Bucky’s busy tomorrow.” 

“Tomorrow night it is. I’ll call you when I’m finished with my last meeting.” Clint wondered if this was his life now. Balancing dates – interviews. 

“Sounds good.” Steve agreed. “Oh, could we meet on my campus? There is a coffee cart we could meet at. Under the clock in the square.” 

Although the directions were vague, Clint figured Jarvis could help him out. The, well, he wasn’t a man, but the machine was more helpful than any human Clint knew. 

“If I get lost I’ll give you a call.” Clint smirked a little.

Steve caught the joke and chuckled lightly. “Better than texting me, I’m not sure if I could text better directions.” 

“Ha, well, I aim to please.” Clint joked back. “I’ll see you tomorrow.” 

“Have a goodnight.” Steve offered kindly before the connection was ended. 

__ 

“You’re freaking me out.” Tony commented the next morning. 

“Huh?” Clint asked. 

“You,” Tony waved his hand towards where Clint stood. “You’re happy. It’s freaking me out. Seriously, should I ask Jarvis if I’m in danger?” 

Clint raised an eyebrow and laughed shortly. “What are you even talking about? I’m not happy.” 

“So what’s with the happy humming and all the smiles?” Tony asked around a mouthful of scrambled eggs. 

Clint tried to frown, but found he couldn’t. Odd, he was happy. There was no real reason why, he had to go on a bunch of dates – interviews, interviews, damn it! At least that night he’d get to see Steve again. The guy was the closest chance Clint had at Stark living a happy life and going back to normal body guarding stuff. 

“I figured after the first round of potentials you’d be kind of grumpy today.” Tony commented carefully. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy your happy, but I’m kind of fearing for my life.” 

For a moment Clint let his smile turn wicked, “Maybe you should be.” 

Tony froze, but Clint couldn’t hold the evil look for long and started to laugh. 

“Ha, fucking, ha ha.” Tony grumbled. “While you get to spend the day eating and talking with my prospects I get to spend the day shut up in a production meeting.” 

“Can we switch?” Clint perked up. 

Tony frowned and shook his head. “Nope, you’ve been promoted to ‘Heart Protector’ – deal with it.” 

The cheesy title was enough to drop the smile from Clint’s face. Still, he couldn’t help but look forward to seeing Steve after a long day of uncertainty and the possibility of a Heather re-peat. 

__

The first guy Clint met up with was a dud. No where near as bad as Heather had been though. He was able to hold a decent conversation, but he lacked – something. Mystery maybe. Intrigue. Stark would be bored within fifteen minutes or less. Of course Clint was only afraid of that because he was bored after the first and only hour. 

“It was nice meeting you,” Clint had ended with, but Bently seemed to agree that he couldn’t keep up with someone like Tony Stark. They parted ways with mutual disappointment as well as understanding. 

Clint liked the girl he met at lunch almost as much as he liked Steve. She was sweet, but instead of shy she was bold and snarky. Alice would mesh well with Stark’s personality. 

“There will be a few follow up interviews.” Clint told her at the end of their time. 

Alice smiled brightly with a spark of mischief in her brown eyes. “I look forward to it. Tell Stark I said hi.” She added before she twirled around and walked confidently down the streets of New York. Alice had style and class. Clint nodded to himself as he headed off to kill time before his last meeting. 

Nadine was smart and pretty, but ultimately dull. She kept the conversation focused on work and even though Tony would be able to follow along better than Clint, Tony wasn’t one to want to think about work twenty-four seven. She would have bored him in the long run. 

So far Clint had two seemingly worthy prospects for Tony. It was a start. 

Clint opted to walk to meet up with Steve. The city was bustling with people in a rush to get home after a long, hard day of work. It was weirdly calming to be among the chaos. 

With the help of the directions Jarvis provided Clint with, he made it too the coffee stand on Steve’s campus. 

Underneath the big bulb lamp post lights Clint spotted Steve easily through the dim lit night and smiled. Steve waved when he spotted Clint, the motion slightly hindered by the two cups of coffee he was juggling. 

“I figured I’d pay you back for yesterday.” Steve explained and handed Clint the second cup. 

Clint smiled and nodded his thanks, “Well, I technically didn’t pay for the coffee yesterday.” He pointed out, “but I’ll happily drink this in place of Tony.” He joked with a wink and took a careful sip. With a surprised blink he looked at Steve with another bright smile. “You remembered my order.” He commented lightly. Tony couldn’t even get his order right and they’d known each other for a few years. 

“Yeah,” Steve shrugged and ducked his head a bit as he tried to subtly turn away as he fought what Clint thought was a blush, but they’d wandered too far from the streetlights and in the shadows it was too hard to tell.

They walked over to an empty bench. There weren’t many people on campus. Most were either headed to the library or sleepily walking home after a long day of studies. Clint had never gone to college, not that he couldn’t have, it just didn’t seem necessary with his skillsets. He protected people. He didn’t need to be book-smart to do that. 

“So, have you figured out how to do these,” Steve paused and glanced at Clint as he waved a hand vaguely between them. 

“D-Interviews?” Clint quickly corrected himself and fought his own blush. Damn he really, really needed to block the word ‘date’ from his mind. 

“Yeah,” Steve chuckled. “That.”

“Nope.” Clint admitted with another sip of his hot beverage. “But, I figure at this point I think you’d be good for Stark, I just need to prepare you.” 

“Prepare me?” Steve asked curiously. 

“He’s a work-a-holic,” Clint started without a second thought, “When he gets angry and you get in his way he tends to aim low.” 

“He get’s physical?” Steve frowned. 

“No.” Clint shook his head and back peddled. “He isn’t a hitter, trust me, he tends to use his words.” Clint shrugged. “Doesn’t happen often, but you should at least be aware of that. Also, he tends to like his robots more than people. He drinks a lot. A lot, a lot.” Clint corrected himself carefully, his eyes following a shadowed figure across the sidewalk on the other side of the courtyard. 

“Um,” Steve quietly interrupted. “Are you trying to talk me out of dating Tony?” 

Clint blinked. Yeah, it did kind of sound like he was trying to talk Steve out of it. Steve was a good guy, he’d be a great influence on Tony, not that Tony was a bad guy, but he was his own kind of good. Steve seemed like pure goodness. Something incredibly rare and genuine. 

“I’m not.” Clint unwrapped one hand around the warm cup of coffee and shook his head. “I just want you to understand the real Tony. What you see in the news or read in the papers is mostly an act. I don’t want to introduce you two without you knowing both sides of his personality. The good and the bad. You already know the good, his giving side, his – um, well, you know why you are attracted to him. I know the behind the scenes stuff. Stuff you should know before you get too involved.” 

Steve shrugged. “I suppose.” He seemed uncertain. “I feel odd talking about someone who can’t defend themselves.” Steve admitted like a true saint. It just made Clint like him even more. He would be perfect for Stark, but still…

“And I totally get that.” Clint agreed. “I wouldn’t say these things if I weren’t concerned for the outcome of this – ” Clint waved his hand vaguely at the shadowy courtyard in front of them. “If I introduced you to Stark right now he’s going to expect it to be a long lasting thing. I just need to make you aware of the not-so-great stuff so you won’t run away screaming.” Clint tried to smile. He failed. “I know, it sucks, but, I’m trying to be fair to you both.” 

Slowly Steve nodded. “I suppose that does make sense.” He agreed, but didn’t seem overly thrilled about it. Clint understood that and quickly launched into a long list of Stark’s quarks. 

By the end he was exhausted and out of coffee. 

“Wow.” Steve muttered when Clint fell silent. 

“Yeah.” Clint agreed with another wince. “But, he’s the most genuine guy you’ll ever meet. Sure he doesn’t always think before he says something, but when he says something real you know it and it’s from the heart.” Clint looked at Steve and gave a genuine smile. “He means well. Underneath the rough exterior there is a guy with a big heart. He just needs someone to show him he doesn’t need to hide, you know? Someone to love him and all that shit.” 

Steve took a breath before he turned to face Clint who was a little afraid Steve would run away screaming. Steve didn’t, he just smiled thoughtfully for a second. “You’re a good friend.” He announced rather randomly. At least it was random to Clint. Clint felt like a crappy friend. He’d just given a practical stranger the dish on everything wrong with Tony. 

“What now?” Clint managed, his eyebrows scrunched up together in confusion. 

“You are a good friend.” Steve repeated. “I could tell it was hard for you to tell me all of that and you ended on a positive note. I can tell you want Tony to be happy. It’s good of you.” 

Clint had been called a lot of things in his life, but good was only used to describe his skills, not his personality. It made him feel warm, which had nothing to do with the weather – it was freezing. 

Steve must have seen him shiver because he set his empty cup aside and took off his jacket. “Here, that sweater doesn’t look all that warm.” He commented kindly. 

“What?” Clint blinked and stared at the offered jacket. It looked warm, but he wasn’t about to take it from Steve. “It’s not that bad, really.” He tried to wave off Steve’s concern. 

“Clint, I’m not cold at all. I rarely am, really.” Steve shrugged. “My friend Bucky says it’s like I have some super human resistance to the cold.” 

“Well,” Clint looked at the warm offering longingly. “If you’re sure.” 

“I am.” Steve promised and stubbornly settled the jacket over Clint’s slightly shivering shoulders. 

“Thanks.” Clint mumbled. He’d never been used to being on the receiving end of kindness. Gingerly Clint slipped his arms through the size too big jacket and let the warmth flood into his chilled skin. “Much better.” Clint added in an attempt to ease the awkwardness. He wasn’t really sure that he succeeded. 

“I’m glad.” Steve told him with a bright smile. They fell into a comfortable silence. “Is there anything else I should know about Tony?” 

Clint considered the question. “He’s all rough and raw on the outside, but he has his sweet moments. When he wants something he goes for it. He’s funny. Smart. Well, he’s a genius. Self proclaimed or not it’s the damned truth. Sure he’s a little loud, but its just because, well, he needs the attention. Good attention.”

“Bad childhood?” Steve guessed and Clint looked away. 

“That I’m not going to tell you about.” Clint knew first hand that some things were best told by the person who lived through them. 

Steve nodded when Clint glanced back. “I understand. I wouldn’t have let you tell me, anyway.” 

Maybe Steve had an understanding with bad childhoods. Clint wasn’t about to ask about something so personal. If Steve dared ask Clint about his childhood he’d probably walk away, or, well maybe not walk away, but he’d definitely not answer. Some things were best left unspoken. 

“Good.” Clint smirked and stood. “I should head back to the tower.” He admitted. It was late, later than he had planned on originally. Tony would likely comment when he got home, but Clint really couldn’t do anything about it at this point. Without a second thought Clint started to slip out of the jacket to hand it back to Steve only for the taller man to stop him. 

“I live around the corner,” He smiled. “You keep it, I can pick it up next time I see you.” 

Something inside Clint felt odd when he looked back at Steve. It felt warm and fluttery. Like a butterfly on fire – not just one though, a thousand butterflies on fire, but it didn’t burn up his insides, the feeling was a weirdly pleasant one. 

“Okay.” Clint managed and nodded. “Thanks, I’ll see you soon.” He promised. It would likely be the truth. Sure Alice was nice, but Clint would choose Steve over her so far. Still, it would only be fair to give the girl some time…

“Goodnight,” Clint offered as evenly as possible. For some reason the word almost got caught in his throat. Perhaps he needed water. Hydration was important. The night was cold and it was time for him to go home. 

“Goodnight, Clint.” Steve nodded and after a pause he smiled and turned to walk on his way home. Clint watched for a moment before heading off in his own direction.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was my favorite chapter so far...just saying.

Time was something Clint didn’t have in the days following. There had been an attempted break in at the tower and Clint and Happy insisted they both needed to watch over Tony, much to Tony’s unhappy ranting. 

“It was just some two-bit thief!” Tony insisted one night after the first twenty-four hour watch. “I don’t need you people watching me sleep because some idiot thought he could take on my tower’s amazing defenses.” 

“He managed to get up to your private floor.” Clint glared. “It was a good thing you weren’t here or shit could have happened. Until we figure out exactly how he or she got through all of your ‘amazing defenses’ I’m sticking to you like glue.” 

“Me too.” Happy said and smacked a closed fist against his chest in some weird gorilla-like power display. Clint rolled his eyes. At least with Happy here they could both trade off and take piss breaks without worrying about leaving Tony alone. 

It took the rest of the week to track down the person responsible for the attack. The hacker had managed to crack into Jarvis’s mainframe and change some codes, but in the end the new codes led Tony straight back to their maker. 

“Now can I sleep alone?” Tony griped after seeing Jarvis’s attacker off to prison. 

“I thought you ‘promoted’ me so you would never have to sleep alone.” Clint drawled as he flopped down on the couch in the living area. The fireplace was lit and all Clint wanted to do was relax for a bit after the last few days of high stress. 

“Speaking of which,” Tony chimed, suddenly way too cheerful. “Pepper told me Ben called to reschedule his interview.” 

Ben, Clint thought with a frown. “Who?” 

“The guy you were supposed to go out with that first day. You two were going to get drinks, he still wants to do that.” 

“Ugh.” Clint groaned and threw his hand over his eyes. “Fine. When and where?” 

__

Drinks did not go well. 

Ben was attractive, witty and smart, but apparently he had one big problem. Well, two problems.

“I’ll be honest.” Ben said, he was on his first drink, same as Clint. He leaned in with a light hand on Clint’s arm and whispered the words like a secret. “It isn’t Stark I’m interested in.” 

The first problem was he wasn’t there for Stark.

Clint frowned and tried to lean away to give himself more personal space. “Oh?” He was tempted to get up and leave right then and there, but he was tired and his head was starting to hurt. 

“I saw you in the background of that interview. Just behind Stark on TV one night.” Ben’s smile was disconcerting and Clint really didn’t like the way Ben said Stark’s name. Like he’d eaten something that tasted bad. “You don’t belong in the shadows, Clint.” 

Ben’s second problem was that he happened to be bat-shit crazy.

Alarms rang in Clint’s head and he stood abruptly. “I think we’re done here.” Clint managed to slur as he stumbled and headed towards the nearest exit. The first misplaced step and Clint knew he’d somehow been drugged. Odd, Clint had watched everything the entire time. He always kept an eye out for danger. The drug must have been absorbed through skin, Clint reasoned as a hand wrapped around his vulnerable arm. He’d left his jacket – Steve’s jacket on the barstool. 

Clint flinched back from the unwanted touch, turned and punched the guy square in the throat. Without a second glance at Ben gasping on the floor, Clint managed to stumble out the back door and into the ally. He fell against a wall and took a moment to take stock of his condition. There was no way he could make it down the street, let alone back to the tower, under his own power. He needed help. Fast. 

Somehow Clint managed to pull his phone from the pocket of his jeans as he slid down the wall and sat onto the cold ground. A snowflake drifted down and landed on the screen and Clint shivered a bit, realizing for the first time how cold it was outside. He missed the warmth of Steve’s jacket, but didn’t feel like he could manage going back inside the bar to get it. Not only that, but Ben might still be lurking around.

Without much coordination, Clint tried to scroll through his contacts to Tony’s name on the small screen. Drunkenly he figured his words would be too slurred for voice commands. Maybe it was time to upgrade to one of Tony’s Jarvis Phones. Clint’s hesitation had been based on a strong concern that Tony would listen in on Clint’s personal life. Which was ironic, since Clint didn’t have a personal life. 

Clint pressed the button and groaned as he leaned his aching head back against the wall. The world needed to calm the fuck down and stop spinning. 

“Hello?” A voice answered his call, one that was plainly not Tony. 

“T-Tony?” Clint slurred in a half whisper. “Wait, yur not Tony.” 

“Clint?” The voice was so familiar though. Not Tony, it was…

“Steve.” Clint realized. “I was, need to call, ugh.” Clint closed his eyes and leaned his head forward and then back against the brick wall behind him once more. 

“Clint,” Steve’s calm, but concerned voice called through Clint’s confusion. “Are you okay?” 

“Drugged.” Clint mumbled in what he hoped was semi coherent speech. “Try, call, Tony – got you.” 

There was a very brief pause and Clint could hear movement on the other end of the line. Like someone was in a hurry to go somewhere. “Where are you?” Steve asked suddenly. “And are you okay? Is the person that drugged you still there?” 

Clint frowned. He knew all the answers, but for some reason his tongue wasn’t cooperating. Oh yeah, the drugs. “Bar, corner of forth street and main.” Clint sighed. “Need to call Tony. Awful prospect. Bastard drugged me.” 

A door shut in the background and keys jingled, but Clint couldn’t see anything since Steve was somewhere else. On the phone. Clint frowned. 

“Is the bastard still with you?” Steve’s voice was still calm. Very calm. He was a good guy, Clint thought as he slipped down the wall to sit for a bit. It was pretty hard to stay awake, actually. “Clint?” 

“Punched him in the throat.” Clint announced tiredly. “Need to go home.” He whispered pathetically. 

“I’m coming to get you.” Steve promised, which was odd since Clint wasn’t drugged enough to think that he lived with Steve. He’d only just met the guy. 

“That might be weird.” Clint grumbled as he blinked slowly. 

“Why, Clint?” A car started. 

Clint frowned. “Cuz’ I’m, you and Tony. Trying to set you up – or whatever.” 

Steve was quiet for a moment, maybe he was focused on driving. “Clint, I’m sure he’ll understand.” Clint nodded but didn’t respond. That must have set off alarm bells in Steve’s head because he sounded panicked when he spoke next. “Clint, Clint? Are you still there?” 

“Yeah,” Clint sighed out quietly. “Tired.” 

“Stay awake a little bit longer,” Steve asked, “Tell me something, anything.” 

“Liked you.” Clint admitted brokenly. “Think you’d be good – for Stark. Don’t know – didn’t just – tell him.” 

“Hey.” Steve’s voice echoed above him and into his ear from the phone. Clint looked up, surprised to find Steve knelt beside him. 

“H-ey.” Clint slurred, half curled in on himself against the side of the bar. “You’re here.” Now apparently Clint was Captain Obvious. Steve didn’t seem overly concerned about that, but he was concerned. Worry was painted all over the man’s face. “Sorry,” Clint was quick to apologize. He’d made Steve frown. That should be a crime. Steve should only be allowed to smile.

“What on Earth do you have to be sorry for?” Steve asked as he took stock of the situation. 

“Forgot to call you.” Clint muttered before his eyes slid shut and he drifted away. He’d stayed awake long enough. Steve would protect him now. 

__

The faint sound of steady beeping woke Clint after a long stay in a fog filled world. He blinked his too heavy eyes open and winced at the bright light he was met with. Someone thankfully dimmed the lights. 

“Nat.” He groaned in assumption that he had been on some sort of mission that had gone terribly wrong. It took a moment for the fog to part enough to realize he no longer worked for SHIELD, but for Stark. The date-gone-wrong was a blur, but Clint remembered it enough to groan again. Why did shit like that always seem to happen to him? 

“Um, it’s Steve.” A timid voice corrected him quietly. Clint turned and looked at Steve sitting in a chair pulled up close to his bed. 

“Hi, Steve.” Clint smiled faintly and glanced around the room slowly. “So, that sucked.” 

“You should be fine.” Steve informed Clint dutifully, but his voice had an edge of worry to it. “The doctor said whatever that man doused you with should work itself out of your system fairly quick. They just wanted you under observation until you woke up.” 

“Good.” Clint sighed and shifted in an attempt to get comfortable on the too hard bed with the scratchy pillows. “Crap, what time is it?” Clint asked and stiffly tried to raise himself off the bed to find a clock. Stark – did Tony even realize he was gone? 

“It’s around three in the morning.” Steve admitted. “Tony’s here. Or he was. I called him after I got you here and checked in, he arrived pretty quickly, took one look at you and said he’d ‘find the bastard that did this’ and left the room. Well, he stayed for a bit, but the nurse came in and yelled at him for using his cell phone in your room.” 

“Oh,” Clint frowned, but nodded. It made sense that Tony was being protective. Clint just hoped the man didn’t try and ‘make it up’ to him. It dawned on Clint a moment after it should have. “Oh, you two met.” 

Steve blushed a pleasant color of red and looked away. “Yeah, briefly though. He’s spent most of the time on the phone out in the lobby area with his bodyguard.” 

“I’m his bodyguard.” Clint glared unhappily as he corrected Steve. “Happy’s just my back up. Not even my back up. He’s just, Happy.” Clint rolled his eyes. He felt more awake and was aware he was being childish, but the drugs in his system were making his real feelings harder to guard. 

“I’m sorry,” Steve apologized sincerely. “I didn’t mean anything by – ”

“Clint!” Tony interrupted as he appeared at the door. He stood there and Clint had to give a ghost smile. Tony was never good in these situations. Stark stood there, trying to pretend to be composed. Clint could see Tony trembling and how pale his face was. Over all he was doing an awful job trying to appear relaxed. “You idiot.” His boss hissed and stalked over to Clint. The man was paler than Clint felt. “You got yourself roofied. I thought you were a trained – ” The billionaire choked on the next word, thankfully realizing they weren’t alone before he finished that sentence. Tony stammered a little as his horrified eyes locked with the curious and confused gaze Steve offered. “Trained bodyguard.” Tony finally bit out and turned his glare to Clint again. 

“I am a,” Clint looked at Steve who looked back at him, narrowed his eyes and looked over at Tony, clearly the man had picked up on something being hidden, but he had enough grace to not question it. “A trained bodyguard. Unfortunately I’m not a psychic. He had something on his hands. It absorbed through my skin, fast stuff.”

Whoever Ben was, it was clear the man was dangerous. Clint wasn’t unfamiliar with being a target, not with his history, but this was different. The guy had taken him by surprise. Clint had let his guard down, too focused on what Tony wanted to see the danger right in front of him. Although, in his own defense Ben was good. He didn’t flip the switch from normal to crazy until after the drug had started to take effect. In fact, it was only Clint’s training that had saved him from becoming the man’s victim. Probably cut up into small little pieces and, well, Clint didn’t really want to think about it. 

“Look,” Clint sighed and leaned back against the not-that-comfortable pillow. “I’ll admit I screwed up.” 

“Good.” Tony growled, but seemed to sober his anger a bit as he crossed his still shaking hands over his chest. “Don’t make me hire someone to watch your back.” 

Clint glared. “You wouldn’t dare.” 

“Um,” Steve spoke up awkwardly. Clint blinked. He’d forgotten the man was there. 

“Right.” Clint blinked and moved to pull himself up into a more seated position. “Steve, Tony,” He fumbled until Steve helped him find the button to elevate the back of his bed into a more chair like position. “Thanks.” Clint smiled at Steve before he glanced at Tony. “This is Steve.” He told his boss. “I like him. You might too. You should date.” 

“Wow.” Tony blinked and eyed Steve with no recognition. Out of all the prospects Tony had really only given Steve a chance because he wanted Clint to get used to his new job. Clint realized that now, but, it didn’t change the fact that Steve was perfect. “Uh, nice to meet you. Since you did get his ass to the hospital, you did win points for that. He’s kind of important. To me.” Tony admitted with extreme awkwardness. 

“Go.” Clint waved his hands at them. “Go take him to get coffee or something.” 

“Pushy.” Tony commented under his breath. 

Clint narrowed his eyes playfully. “No offense, but the new job has proven to be more dangerous to my life than just protecting yours.” 

“Right.” A flash of guilt flickered across Tony’s eyes and for a moment Clint regretted his words. For a moment. 

“Go.” Clint demanded with a solid nod. “And then come pick me up so I can go home.” 

“Clint,” Tony had grown serious and Clint could tell it had caught Steve’s attention. “I’m not leaving you here alone until that animal is found.” 

Clint shrugged. “I’m in a hospital. I’m a trained – uh – bodyguard. I know he’s out there, I think I’ll be fine. If you want I’ll even call Natasha.” 

Tony frowned in contemplation. “That woman hates me.” After a moment he nodded and smirked. “Fine. I’ll have Maxwell come pick you up when you’re released.” 

Clint groaned. “What? No not Maxwell! Natasha - ”

“Doesn’t have a car, last I checked.” Tony grinned. 

“Her motorcycle – ”

“You are not riding with her on that ill-made contraption after being discharged from a hospital, Barton.” Tony scolded forcefully. “Maxwell will drive you both back to the tower. End of story.” 

“Fine.” Clint gritted out through clenched teeth and folded arms. With a disgruntled sigh he looked at Steve. “He’s worse than a mother-hen.” He explained and pointed his finger over at Tony. “But it means he cares.” 

“I hate you.” Tony grunted already walking out the door. 

“He doesn’t.” Clint grinned back at Steve, who looked a little terrified. “You’d better run after him.” Clint commented with an edge of seriousness. “He will leave you behind.” Barton winked as Steve stood and wrung his hands nervously. 

“Oh, uh,” Steve looked towards the door. Tony was already probably halfway down the hall. Clint smiled as Steve met his eyes one last time. “Feel better.” Steve offered. 

“Thanks for saving me.” Clint told Steve’s back as he rushed after Tony. 

Clint sat alone in the hospital room and tried to look away from the door. He should feel good. Happy even. Steve and Tony were perfect together. Perfect. 

So why did it feel like he made a terrible mistake?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for stopping by!


End file.
